What Happened to Marcus?
What Happened to Marcus? is a short story which appeared in the anthology , published in May 1950. The story first appeared in the Canadian magazine Maclean's on 1 May 1942 under the title Lost Oasis. The story takes place at an R.A.F. station in Britain sometime during the Second World War. Synopsis The father of Flying Officer Marcus Vasey seeks information about what happened to him and calls on Flight Lieutenant Osmond Gale, his son's close friend. Vasey persuades Gale to how his son came to be posted as "missing", no matter how far-fetched the account may be. Plot (may contain spoilers - click on expand to read) Mr Vasey, the father of Flying Officer Marcus Vasey meets Flight Lieutenant Osmond Gale and wants to know what became of his son, who had been posted as "missing" but had not ben behind enemy lines. Gale, who knew Marcus well from the time they spent together as R.A.F. pilots in the Egyptian desert, hesitates but Vasey persuades him to tell it all. For background, Gale tells Vasey about the legend of Zenzura, a mysterious lost oasis in the desert where the remnants and descendants of Cambysus' army were believed to be living. Shortly before his final disappearance, Marcus had gone missing before. On this previous occasion, he had been lost for five days before turning up delirious with thirst in the middle of the desert. After Marcus had recovered from his ordeal, he told Gale about what had happened. He had been blown off course and, running low on fuel, had spotted an oasis where he landed. The oasis had been richly cultivated with fruit trees and more particularly, with beautiful roses. At the oasis, he had met a beautiful woman named Karia and an old man. Marcus coul not speak their language but he spent a few days with them and fell in love with Karia. However Marcus also felt it was his duty to return to base and when he saw eagles flying northwards, believed that must be the direction of civilisation. He took off to the north and flew until his fuel gave out. He then wandered on and was finally rescued before expiring. From that time on, Marcus was a changed man. He could not stop talking about Karia, and always in a hushed tone that bordered on adoration. One morning, Marcus took off on a test-flight heading south and was never seen again. For Mr Vasey, Gale's account settles his doubts. Marcus has have crashed in the desert when his aircraft ran out of fuel. Either a blow to the head or thirst had caused him to dream his fantastical dream. Vasey is satisfied. Not quite, Gale rejoins. He produces a lock of golden hair with the faint smell of roses. He had found this among Marcus' personal effects. Characters *Flight Lieutenant Osmond Gale *Flying Officer Marcus Vasey *Mr Vasey Aircraft *Hawker Hurricane Ships Places Visited *Siwa Oasis *Zenzura Research Notes *The same backstory about Zenzura is recounted in . Publication History *Maclean's, 1 May 1942 *Collected in Short Sorties, Latimer House, 1950 *Collected in Short Sorties and Sky Fever, Norman Wright, 2006 References External Links *Archive of Maclean's 1 May 1942 Category:Short stories Category:Other short stories Category:Adult short stories